A team of four from CHC joins Tan Tock Seng Hospital’s fundraising cycling race.
By Tan Pei Qi
CN PHOTOS: Michael Chan.
The usually quiet and serene Sengkang Riverside Park on the morning of Feb.25 was abuzz with activity. The recently-revamped park was thumping with pop music as a community of cyclists got ready for their morning cycle. This was a ride to raise funds for low-income elderly patients of Tan Tock Seng Hospital.
Family & Friends Charity Ride 2012 is an annual event organized by Tan Tock Seng Hospital Community Charity Fund. This year, the event was held in conjunction with the National Parks Board’s aunch of the North Easter Riverine Loop, a park connector in the north-eastern part of Singapore. This 26km loop links four parks: Sengkang Riverside Park, Punggol Park, Punggol Waterway Park and Punggol Point Park, and connects several park connectors for commuting possibilities.
The race flagged off at Sengkang Riverside Park at 8am with more than 300 cyclists from various communities, companies and associations, taking either a nine or 11km route. Participating cyclists were among the first to ride the newly constructed loop which follows the natural coastline of Punggol Beach and the river banks of Sungei Punggol and Sungei Serangoon.
City Harvest Church’s team of four was among those riding with a heart that day. Led by Jimmy Sng, an assistant pastor of the church, the team spent a good morning exercising and fellowshipping.
“It is our first time being invited by Tan Tock Seng Hospital to participate in this event, and we are glad to have played a part in this meaningful ride,” said Sng. His fellow team members were Lim Choon Hwee, 30, Lin Junqiang, 33 and David Chan, 26.
“It was a very pleasant ride and we all finished this race with a smile on our faces!’ said Lim. “Saturday mornings are typically our running days. This is our first time cycling together as a team, and the fact it’s for charity makes it meaningful,” Lin piped in.
The finishing point was at the Sungei Serangoon Park Connector, where a carnival awaited the cyclists. There were booths for cycling associations, and other health-related booths such as Interactive Diet and Activity Track (iDAT), which were there to educate the community on the importance of our daily diet and activities. TTSH even had an Angry Bird Season booth, where participants could donate, play games and win prizes.
There was also a mass exercise class led by Fitness First’s gym instructors. It was a refreshing sight: the young and old, even people with disabilities, moved to the rhythm, following the exercise routines.
For the able-bodied, this was a morning of fun and sunshine. But behind that lay the greater purpose of raising S$100,000 for needy elderly patients who require long-term medication and treatment in TTSH. Every year, over 2,000 needy patients receive funding from TTSH Community Charity Fund.
Set up in 1995, TTSH CCF provides financial aid for needy patients when other avenues of support are lacking. In keeping its call to care for the elderly, TTSH CCF set up Helping Elderly Patients (HELP) program specifically to support elderly needy patients with healthcare costs. The fund provides for medication, medical equipment, breathing and mobility aids; it also funds programs such as in-nutrition and rehabilitation programs that aid the elderly in their recovery and improve their quality of life.
Funds raised from the Family & Friends Charity Ride 2012 will be used to support HELP program.
